Department for Transport

High Speed 2 Railway Line

lord truscott: To ask Her Majesty's Government what plans they have to review the business case for HS2.

baroness vere of norbiton: An updated business case for HS2 will be published alongside the formal notice to proceed for Phase 1 of the project later this year.

Railways: North of England

lord truscott: To ask Her Majesty's Government whether they have received any representations about prioritising HS3 over HS2.

baroness vere of norbiton: There is no either / or choice between HS2 and Northern Powerhouse Rail (NPR). Both projects have the potential to be transformative for the North. Whilst Transport for the North’s plans for NPR are at an earlier stage of development, they are being designed to complement HS2 and transform connectivity across the north of England. We are currently consulting on proposals to include passive provision for two future junctions that would one day allow NPR trains to use the HS2 route into Manchester and vice versa. These proposals have been developed with Transport for the North, and, in the future, could allow a potential new route between Manchester and Liverpool that could also be used for services between London and Liverpool.

M6: Speed Limits

lord lipsey: To ask Her Majesty's Government what is the estimated value of motorists' time lost due to the 50mph speed limit in place as part of the works to create a digital M6 motorway.

baroness vere of norbiton: The impact of delays during construction of the current M6 Junctions 2 to 4 and Junctions 13 to 15 smart motorway schemes was assessed as part of the economic appraisal undertaken prior to the start of construction. This took into account various factors including the impact of the construction programme in full, lane availability and also the effect of limiting traffic speed to 50mph. This assessment gave an estimated value of £80 million for motorist’s journey time lost during construction. The economic appraisal also forecast that the completed schemes would give a journey time gain of £802 million to motorists. In July 2018, Highways England announced its intention to test whether 60mph speed limits in roadworks could be used more often. That work is ongoing, and it is anticipated that the benefits will include improved journey times for motorists.

Department for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy

Motor Vehicles: Manufacturing Industries

lord livermore: To ask Her Majesty's Government, further to the Written Answer by Lord Henley on4 June (HL15847), what recent assessment they have made of the impact of (1) Honda's decision to close its Swindon plant in 2021, and (2) other recent announcements by car manufacturers, on the steel industry in the UK.

lord livermore: To ask Her Majesty's Government, further to the Written Answer by Lord Henley on 4 June (HL15847),what recent assessment they have made of the impact of (1) Honda's decision to close its Swindon plant in 2021, and (2) other recent announcements by car manufacturers, on the glass industry in the UK.

lord livermore: To ask Her Majesty's Government, further to the Written Answer by Lord Henley on 4 June (HL15847),what recent assessment they have made of the impact of (1) Honda's decision to close its Swindon plant in 2021, and (2) other recent announcements by car manufacturers, on the tyre industry in the UK.

lord henley: The Government is working with the car manufacturers and key industry groups to identify and assess supply chain risks in all cases where car manufacturing operations are expected to cease or reduce. It is a complex picture and it is difficult to project the impact on suppliers. Every effort is being made to support affected suppliers to identify new opportunities to sustain and potentially grow their businesses before the impact of these announcements comes to pass.The Government will continue to assess UK wide supply chain risks have so far identified over 60 supply chain companies directly impacted by the Honda decision. We are working across all LEP areas and with the Devolved Nations to protect and support Honda supply chain businesses across the UK. As well as work across Government to measure the potential short and long-term economic shock from Honda and any supply chain closures on the UK economy (including within other sectors).There are more than 2500 automotive supply chain companies in the UK, including 18 of the world's 20 biggest automotive suppliers, producing approximately £12.7bn worth of parts.We are ensuring everything is being done to support businesses, their workforce and communities affected by the announcements. We continue the strive to attract investment, creating highly-skilled jobs that offer fulfilling careers for years to come.

Motor Vehicles: Manufacturing Industries

lord taylor of warwick: To ask Her Majesty's Government what assessment they have made of the impact of a no-deal Brexit on just-in-time supply chains in the UK automotive sector.

lord henley: In February 2018, the Government published its assessment of the implications for business and international trade in the UK, if it leaves the EU without a deal on March 29. This assessment remains valid.The UK and the EU share a strong commercial interest in maintaining the competitiveness of our automotive industries, which rely on highly integrated and sophisticated just in time supply chains. Under a no-deal outcome, the automotive industry would face additional costs and burdens as a result of new customs procedures, compliance requirements and reductions in traffic flows across the Channel.BEIS ministers and officials regularly engage with the automotive industry, bilaterally, via trade associations, and through the Department’s participation in the Automotive Council, to discuss no-deal risks and mitigations.

Copyright: EU Law

lord jones of cheltenham: To ask Her Majesty's Government what plans they have to implement the Copyright Directive in the event of the UK leaving the EU without a deal.

lord henley: Whether the Government is required to implement the Directive will depend on the nature of our departure from the EU. Any new legislation after a no-deal exit would be subject to usual legislative processes, including public consultations and full impact assessment.

Foreign and Commonwealth Office

North Korea: Refugees

lord alton of liverpool: To ask Her Majesty's Government whether they have discussed with the government of China the right of North Korean refugees to resettle in the Republic of Korea.

lord ahmad of wimbledon: We continue to emphasise to China that people fleeing North Korea should be treated as legitimate asylum claimants and should not be returned as stipulated by the 1951 UN Refugee Convention. We raised the principle of non-refoulement at the UK/China Human Rights Dialogue in June 2017. We also make clear our concerns to China on individual cases as appropriate.We have not specifically raised the resettlement of North Korean refugees in the Republic of Korea with the Chinese Government.

Omar al-Bashir

lord alton of liverpool: To ask Her Majesty's Government, further to the Written Answer byLord Ahmad of Wimbledon on 17 June (HL15969), why, following his indictment by the International Criminal Court, Omar al-Bashir is not subject to financial measures in the UK; and whether, in the light of his removal as President of Sudan and imprisonment, they will review this decision.

lord ahmad of wimbledon: Former President Omar al-Bashir is not subject to financial measures in the UK. We do not have any information that former President Bashir has assets in the UK. The UK currently implements financial sanctions through the UN and the EU. There is a mixture of UN and EU sanctions regimes in place for Sudan and its citizens. Following the removal of Bashir and recent events we are, with international partners, considering how we can hold Sudanese regime figures accountable for serious abuses. We are seeking information on financial flows relating to Bashir's overthrow, and will act accordingly.

Sudan: Migration

lord alton of liverpool: To ask Her Majesty's Government (1) whetherthe UK's financial contributions to the Khartoum Process have fundedthe Sudanese Rapid Support Forces, and (2) what assessment they have made of reports that the RapidSupport Forces soldmigrants to Libyan human traffickers and abused migrants' fundamental human rights.

lord ahmad of wimbledon: The purpose of the Khartoum Process is to facilitate an EU-Africa dialogue on managing migration, combatting organised immigration crime and addressing the effects of trafficking in the Horn and North Africa. It is called the Khartoum Process because the agreement was signed in Khartoum but it is not specific to Sudan. The UK's financial contributions to the Khartoum Process have not funded the Sudanese Rapid Support Forces. EU funded work on the Regional Operations Centre Khartoum is currently suspended.The UK is aware of reports that the Sudanese Rapid Support Forces sold migrants to Libyan human traffickers and abused migrants' fundamental human rights, but is not able to verify their veracity. The British Government has been clear on the need to do more to break the business model of people smugglers, and is taking steps to try to improve the situation in Libya. This includes working with the Government of National Accord to build the capacity of their law enforcement agencies, and taking steps to tackle the organised crime groups who facilitate the travel from source countries to Europe and the United Kingdom. In June 2018, the UK co-designated UN sanctions against six Libyan and Eritrean traffickers along with France, the US, Germany and the Netherlands.

Horn of Africa: Migration

lord alton of liverpool: To ask Her Majesty's Government what assessment they have made of the UK's role in staffing the Regional Operation Centre in support of the Khartoum Process and AU Horn of Africa Initiative, in the light of reports that it shares intelligence with the Sudanese National Intelligence and Security Services which was involved in the violence in Khartoum on 3 June.

lord ahmad of wimbledon: The UK does not have a direct role in staffing the Regional Operations Centre Khartoum (ROCK) project. Between February 2017 and March 2019 the UK funded directly one technical consultant to support the ROCK to reach its initial operating capacity. The UK contributes around 15% of the EU Trust Fund as a standard assessed contribution. That in turn, funds the ROCK, and we are part of the project’s Management Board, which will continue to scrutinise the ROCK’s operations. However, due to recent events in Sudan, EU funded work on the ROCK is suspended.

Egypt: Torture

lord hylton: To ask Her Majesty's Government what plans they have to call for an independent inquiryinvolving the United NationsSpecial Rapporteur on Torture into allegations of torture in Egypt, in particular the case of Ghehad al-Haddad.

lord ahmad of wimbledon: ​Egypt is a Foreign and Commonwealth Office Human Rights Priority Country and the UK continues to urge the Egyptian Government to ensure full implementation of the rights and freedoms set out in Egypt's Constitution. We are deeply concerned about reports of torture and mistreatment in detention in Egypt. We will continue to urge the Egyptian authorities to ensure all detainees are treated in accordance with relevant international human right standards. We have raised our concerns in public and in private, including at Ministerial level, through our statement at the UN Human Rights Council and through our Human Rights and Democracy Report published on 5 June.

Jerusalem: Orthodox Church

baroness tonge: To ask Her Majesty's Government what assessment they have made of the sale of Greek Orthodox Church property inEast Jerusalem and reports that the sale is being conducted illegally.

lord ahmad of wimbledon: We are aware of sales of Greek Orthodox Church property in East Jerusalem, but have not made any assessment of their legality. The British Government does not routinely comment on private property matters. The British Government continues to view settlements in East Jerusalem as illegal under international law and an obstacle to peace.

Lama Khater

baroness tonge: To ask Her Majesty's Government what representations they have made to the government of Israel about the arrest and imprisonment of the Palestinian journalist Lama Khater.

lord ahmad of wimbledon: ​Whilst we are aware of this case, we have not made any specific representations to the Israeli authorities. The Government is committed to the promotion of media freedom and the protection of journalists, as an essential element of democracy and an important attribute of human rights. The former Minister for the Middle East and North Africa, Rt Hon Alistair Burt MP, met leaders of the Palestinian Journalists' Syndicate in London on 4 July 2018 where they discussed the situation facing Palestinian journalists and the constraints on their work, while officials from the British Consulate in East Jerusalem and our Embassy in Tel Aviv hosted a roundtable in April this year with foreign journalists serving in Israel and the Occupied Palestinian Territories to discuss media freedom.

Jerusalem: Cemeteries

baroness tonge: To ask Her Majesty's Government what representations they are making to the government of Israel about the destruction by the the Israel Defense Forces of graves of Muslim leaders in East Jerusalem in order to build a national park.

lord ahmad of wimbledon: While we have not raised this specific issue with the Israeli authorities, we continue to view East Jerusalem as part of the Occupied Palestinian Territories. We remain concerned about actions which further entrench the Israeli occupation, and regularly make representations to the Israeli government about such actions, such as settlement expansion and the destruction of Palestinian property.

Cabinet Office

Legislative Process

lord norton of louth: To ask Her Majesty's Government what proportion of the recommendations in the report of the House of Lords Constitution CommitteeThe Legislative Process: Preparing Legislation for Parliament (HL Paper 19), published in October 2017, they have not accepted and implemented.

lord young of cookham: The then Leader of the House of Commons responded to the Committee's report on 26 January 2018. In her response she committed to asking officials to consider carefully where the Committee's recommendations can be factored into our processes.The Committee made two recommendations that the Government cannot support, relating to consultations and a legislative standards committee. First, on consultations, the Government agrees that timelines for consultations should be proportionate and realistic to allow stakeholders sufficient time to provide a considered response. However, within these parameters, consultation lengths should be adaptable to the complexity of policy and legislative. Second, on a legislative standards committee, the Government is committed to bringing forward well-drafted legislation of the highest quality but does not believe a legislative standards committee would add to this process.The PBL Committee already serves as a strict gatekeeper to legislation being introduced to Parliament. Furthermore, it is generally not possible to separate views on the standards of a bill from views on the appropriateness of the underlying policy, for which the bill stages in each House already provide the appropriate forum for debate and scrutiny. The Committee’s remaining four recommendations continue to be useful to Government and, as the then Leader of the House of Commons said in her response, are being factored into our processes as appropriate.

Department of Health and Social Care

Measles

baroness brady: To ask Her Majesty's Government what steps they are taking to address any increase in the number of people infected with measles; and whether they have any plans to introduce compulsory measles vaccinations for children before they start school.

baroness blackwood of north oxford: Vaccinations in the United Kingdom are undertaken through informed consent. Although there has been a small decline in coverage in England since 2013, measles, mumps and rubella (MMR) vaccine coverage through the routine programme (first dose given at one year and the second at three years and four months) remains high. Public Health England has said that the majority of recent measles cases are in those not eligible through this routine programme. A new MMR vaccine catch-up programme for 10- and 11-year olds that previously missed the MMR vaccine was introduced in April this year. In addition, the MMR vaccine can also be given on the National Health Service to children who missed routine vaccination and adults who may need it.In January 2019, the UK Measles and Rubella elimination strategy was published. A multi-agency group has been established to take forward the actions in the strategy in England. Local teams are expected to work with local stakeholders to develop measles and rubella elimination action plans.Public Health England monitors vaccine uptake and works with NHS England to increase uptake. This year, NHS England is undertaking a fundamental review of general practitioner vaccinations and immunisation standards, funding, and procurement. This will support the goal of improving immunisation coverage, using local coordinators to target variation and improve groups and areas with low vaccine uptake.

NHS: Crimes of Violence

lord clark of windermere: To ask Her Majesty's Government how many individuals are on the NHS's register of violent and abusive actions; and how many such individuals have been added in the past 12 months.

baroness blackwood of north oxford: There is no centrally maintained ‘register of violence and abusive actions’ for the National Health Service. NHS trusts, working with their local police service are likely to maintain such registers as part of their responsibilities to ensure appropriate sanctions can be taken against ‘violent and abusive’ patients while ensuring they get the care they need within an environment where all patients and staff are protected.

Flour: Folic Acid

baroness finlay of llandaff: To ask Her Majesty's Government whether their consultation on the proposal to add folic acid to flour will include evidence from health economists on the costs to society and the NHS of spina bifida.

baroness blackwood of north oxford: The Department is working closely with economists and analysts to estimate costs to society and the National Health Service of spina bifida and other neural tube defects. We are keen to gather further evidence through the consultation and we welcome responses from all interested parties.The impact assessment will be revised in light of the consultation and published after the consultation closes.

Radiology

lord luce: To ask Her Majesty's Government how many radiographers are required to fulfil the long-term objectives of the NHS.

lord luce: To ask Her Majesty's Government how many radiographers are employed by the NHS.

baroness blackwood of north oxford: In the Cancer Workforce Plan for England which was published in December 2017, Health Education England (HEE) set out the need to target additional training support.As part of the development of the NHS People Plan, HEE will now work with NHS England and NHS Improvement to understand the longer-term workforce implications for further development of cancer services. This will include ensuring sustainable growth beyond 2021 in key professions (including radiography) through continued investment in training places, with a greater focus on attracting and retaining students and improving the numbers of qualified professionals who go on to work in the National Health Service. The number of radiographers required will be addressed in the final NHS People Plan and is dependent on the service model used by each NHS trust.NHS Digital publishes Hospital and Community Health Services (HCHS) workforce statistics. These include staff working in hospital trusts and clinical commissioning groups, but not staff working in primary care or in general practitioner surgeries, local authorities or other providers.As at February 2019, latest available data, there were over 14,000 full time equivalent diagnostic radiographers and over 2,000 therapeutic radiographers employed by the NHS trusts and CCGs, 2,990 and 726 more, respectively, since 2010.

NHS: Finance

lord taylor of warwick: To ask Her Majesty's Government what plans they have, if any, to increase funding for the NHS post-Brexit.

baroness blackwood of north oxford: The National Health Service budget will increase by £33.9 billion in cash terms over the next five years, reflecting that the NHS is this Government’s top spending priority. This major investment will support the NHS to continue to deliver world class care.This extra funding for the NHS will still apply in all European Union exit scenarios to ensure it is there for the long term.

Mental Health Services

lord taylor of warwick: To ask Her Majesty's Government what steps they are taking to implement a long-term strategy to improve the timescale of mental health treatment in the NHS.

baroness blackwood of north oxford: Under the NHS Long Term Plan, there will be a comprehensive expansion of mental health services, with additional funding of at least £2.3 billion a year by 2023/24. This will give greater mental health support to an extra 345,000 children, at least 380,000 more adults and 24,000 more new and expectant mothers.The interim NHS People Plan, published on 3 June 2019, sets out that an additional 25,000 staff will be employed in mental health services over the next five years. This includes nearly 6,500 more working in children and young people’s mental health services and mental health support teams in schools and colleges. The National Health Service will test new waiting times to ensure rapid access to mental health services in the community for those that need it and expand crisis care. More detailed information will be set out in the National Implementation Framework and the full NHS People Plan due to be published later in the year.

NHS: Negligence

lord alton of liverpool: To ask Her Majesty's Government whatassessment they have made ofthe Society of Clinical Injury Lawyers’ proposed alternative to theClinical Negligence Fixed Costs Working Group;and which Ministers are responsible for considering the issue of fixed costs in clinical negligence claims.

baroness blackwood of north oxford: In 2017 the Department consulted on proposals for fixed recoverable costs (FRC) in claims of up to £25,000 damages, for which claimant legal costs are most likely to be disproportionately high relative to damages awarded. The Department published a summary of responses to the consultation in February 2018.Following the consultation by the Department in 2017 and Sir Rupert Jackson’s recommendation in July 2017 to control the legal costs of these cases, the Department and the Ministry of Justice commissioned the independent Civil Justice Council (CJC) to draw up a new process for clinical negligence claims of up to £25,000 damages, with proposals for FRC for these cases.The CJC has set up a working party to develop proposals, with input from claimant and defendant solicitors, including the Society of Clinical Injury Lawyers. The Department will consider the CJC’s recommendations when its report is published and will consult on any resulting proposals for FRC for these cases before implementation.In view of the CJC’s role to lead work on proposals taking account of stakeholder views, the Department has not made its own assessment of the proposals from the Society of Clinical Injury Lawyers.The Minister of State for Care (Caroline Dinenage MP) is responsible for clinical negligence policy.

Cystic Fibrosis: Prescriptions

baroness sherlock: To ask Her Majesty's Government why adults with cystic fibrosis in England are not exempt from paying prescription charges.

baroness blackwood of north oxford: Extensive arrangements are already in place to help people access National Health Service prescriptions. These include a broad range of NHS prescription charge exemptions, for which someone with cystic fibrosis may qualify. Together these exemptions currently mean around 89% of NHS prescription items are dispensed in the community free of charge.To support those with the greatest need who do not qualify for an exemption, the cost of the prescription pre-payment certificates has been frozen for another year. A holder of a 12-month certificate can get all the prescriptions they need for just £2 per week.

Ministry of Justice

Special Educational Needs: Appeals

lord lingfield: To ask Her Majesty's Government what assessment they have made of whether the First-tier Tribunal (Special Educational Needs and Disability) has sufficient (1) resources, and (2) judges, to cope with the number of cases before it; and what plans they have to (a) provide more resources, and (b) increase the number of judges, where they have found these to be insufficient.

lord keen of elie: The Special Educational Needs and Disability jurisdiction of the First-tier Tribunal (“the SEND Tribunal”) has seen a 50% increase in appeals over a 3-year period. In response to this, the SEND Tribunal has increased the number of administrative staff from 25 Full Time Equivalent (FTE) members of staff in May 2016, to 43.5 FTE in May 2019. The Legal Advisers team has also increased from 2.6 FTE at the beginning of 2018, to 4.6 FTE in June 2019.10 new judges were assigned to SEND in September 2018 and a further exercise will be launched in September 2019 for an additional 20 fee paid judges. Parallel to this, HMCTS and the judiciary have been working closely with the Judicial Appointments Commission to recruit judges. In March 2019 21 new fee paid Judges were successfully recruited.

Islamist Extremism in Prisons, Probation and Youth Justice Review

lord pearson of rannoch: To ask Her Majesty's Government what progress they have made in implementing the actions they set out in their response to Ian Acheson’s Review of Islamist extremism in prisons, probation and youth justice, published on 22 August 2016.

lord keen of elie: The Government has delivered against all of the actions it agreed to implement in its response to the Acheson Review. For example, Separation Centres were established to allow greater separation and specialised management of extremists who pose the highest risk to other prisoners. Over 22,000 prison staff, including all new recruits since January 2017, have received enhanced extremism awareness training, covering all forms of ideology. Arrangements are in place to systematically remove extremist literature from prisons, and tightened vetting arrangements for prisoner-facing staff, including the Chaplaincy, are now standard procedure.

Prisoners: Radicalism

lord pearson of rannoch: To ask Her Majesty's Government what is their latest assessment of the level of radicalising influence by Islamist extremists in prisons in England and Wales; and what estimate they have made of the number of prisoners who have been radicalised in the last five years.

lord keen of elie: We are currently managing around 650 individuals in prison and probation through a counter terrorism specialist case management process, ranging from convicted terrorists to those we have identified as showing signs of extremist views or vulnerabilities. We have around 50% more terrorist related prisoners in prisons in England and Wales than we did three years ago. The majority of cases are Islamist extremist (approximately 80%). However, there continues to be a significant rise in Right Wing Terrorism (RWT) cases across the country; the number of Right-Wing offenders in custody rose from 4% of the total Terrorism Act (TACT) / TACT-related cohort in 2015 to 14% in 2019. We do not produce an estimate of the number of offenders who might have been radicalised, nor do we produce a single assessment of the level of radicalising influence by extremists of any ideology. We take the threat of radicalisation and extremism very seriously and this is a key part of our work to improve safety in our prisons. We deal with the risks that individual prisoners present on a case-by-case basis, working closely with law enforcement partners.

Department for International Trade

Arms Trade: Saudi Arabia

lord truscott: To ask Her Majesty's Government, following the High Court judgment on 20 June, whether they intend to suspend arms sales to Saudi Arabia immediately on humanitarian grounds.

lord truscott: To ask Her Majesty's Government what is their assessment of the value of UK arms sales to Saudi Arabia over the last 12 months.

viscount younger of leckie: The Government disagrees with the Court of Appeal judgment and will be seeking permission to appeal. We are carefully considering the implications of the judgment for decision-making. While we do this, we will not grant any new licences for exports to Saudi Arabia and its coalition partners, which might be used in the conflict in Yemen. Arms sales data by region are published annually on GOV.UK. Additionally, information on export licences issued, refused and revoked, up to 31 December 2018, which includes values declared for Standard Individual Export Licences, is published on GOV.UK. It should be noted, that licences granted are not necessarily a measure of sales or exports shipped in a given period as they are valid for between two and five years. Licensing data only provides a partial indication of sales as exporters only declare export values for a subsection of licences (Standard Individual Export Licences). Some licences expire before they are used and, in these circumstances, exporters must submit a further application, which can result in an element of double counting.

Ministry of Defence

Aged Veterans Fund

lord browne of belmont: To ask Her Majesty's Government how much has been spent by the Aged Veterans Fund in each year from 2016 to 2019.

earl howe: The Aged Veterans Fund, set up in 2015, used available LIBOR funds to support older veterans. It funded projects that supported non-core health, wellbeing, and social care needs for older veterans (born before 1 January 1950), including surviving World War 2 veterans, those who undertook National Service, and other voluntary enlisted veterans. The table below details the value of funds awarded in the two years the Aged Veterans Fund was open: Financial YearValue of Grants Awarded2015-16£6,608,0902016-17£22,792,661 Funding was made available for portfolios of projects lasting up to three years, so some projects are still ongoing.

Home Office

Visas: Overseas Visitors

lord collins of highbury: To ask Her Majesty's Government how many individuals were refused visasto travel to the UK for theDfID Safeguarding Summit in October 2018.

lord collins of highbury: To ask Her Majesty's Government how many individuals were refused visas to travel to the UK for Wilton Park events in 2018.

lord collins of highbury: To ask Her Majesty's Government how many individuals were refused visas totravel to the UKfor the Global Disability Summit in July 2018.

baroness williams of trafford: This information requested is not published. Attending meetings, conferences and seminars are all allowed under the Visitor Rules. UKVI has in place engagement teams who can work with event organisers ahead of events to support them through visa processes. Event organisers can approach UKVI directly, we also identify organisers through engagement with other government department and external Stakeholders.

Migrant Workers

lord rogan: To ask Her Majesty's Government when they intend to formally respond to the recommendations of the Migration Advisory Committee's review of the Shortage Occupation List, published on 29 May.

baroness williams of trafford: The Government is grateful to the MAC for a comprehensive report, the content of which we are now considering, before making final decisions. We will publish a response in due course.

Department for Exiting the European Union

Eurostat

lord bassam of brighton: To ask Her Majesty's Government what assessment they have made of the implications of no longerparticipating in Eurostat's data collection and international comparisons of services for public service provision and planning in the UK.

lord callanan: The National Statistician has made a commitment to the continued alignment between UK official statistics and international standards, emphasising the importance of comparability for users of statistics, both over time and internationally.Because the UK’s statistics would continue to meet international best practice, where appropriate this would allow for continued comparability with statistics produced under the European framework (much of which is based on international standards, set by bodies such as the United Nations and the Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development).The emphasis on continuity and comparability means the UK’s decision to leave the EU is not expected to have any immediate impact on the suite of UK official statistics, including those relevant to public service provision and planning.

British Nationals Abroad: EU Countries

lord taylor of warwick: To ask Her Majesty's Government what steps they are taking to make an agreement to safeguard the rights of UK citizens living in the EU after Brexit.

lord callanan: From the very beginning the Prime Minister has been clear that safeguarding the rights of EU citizens living in the UK and UK nationals living in the EU was her first priority for negotiations.The agreement reached and set out in the Withdrawal Agreement text will provide UK nationals with certainty about their rights going forward and allow UK nationals to continue to live, work and study in the EU. They will continue to be able to access benefits and services on the same basis after we exit the EU as they do now, subject to any future domestic policy changes which apply to UK nationals.In a no deal, all Member States have now made commitments to protect the rights of UK nationals in the EU and have guaranteed that UK nationals legally resident by exit day will be able to stay. UK nationals can find details of each system on the FCO “living in guides” on gov.uk.On 27 February the House supported an amendment tabled by Alberto Costa MP to seek a joint UK-EU commitment to adopt Part II of the Withdrawal Agreement whatever the outcome of negotiations. The Government has since written to Michel Barnier twice to propose a ‘joint UK-EU commitment to adopt Part II of the Withdrawal Agreement whatever the outcome of negotiations’.Michel Barnier has been very clear that the Withdrawal Agreement is the best way to protect the rights of citizens. The Government is now carefully considering our response and will continue working towards safeguarding the rights of UK nationals in the EU and EU citizens in the UK in all scenarios.

UK Trade with EU

lord browne of belmont: To ask Her Majesty's Government what estimate they have made of the number of jobs in the EU which are currently dependent on EU trade with the UK.

lord callanan: UK-EU trade supports many jobs in both the UK and the EU. That is why it is in the interests of both sides to maintain trading links once the UK has left the EU; to protect jobs and our economy while allowing us to honour the referendum and realise the opportunities of Brexit.The Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development (OECD) publish estimates on trade in employment, including on the amount of jobs linked to exports. Their most recent data from 2011 estimates that 3.4 million jobs were linked to UK exports across the EU. This data can be found at the link below.https://stats.oecd.org/Index.aspx?DataSetCode=TIM2015_C1

Treasury

Financial Services: Equality

lord taylor of warwick: To ask Her Majesty's Government what steps they have taken to ensure that the UK financial sector (1) increases its diversity, and (2) ensures equal pay.

lord young of cookham: It is the Government’s aspiration to see diversity across the UK economy, and HM Treasury’s Women in Finance Charter reflects our ambition to see an improved gender balance in the financial services industry. So far, over 330 financial services firms have signed the Charter, committing to implement strategic actions to improve their gender balance in senior positions. Regarding wider work to improve diversity in the UK labour market, we are supporting the government commissioned Hampton-Alexander review to push for 33% of all board and senior leadership positions to be held by women by 2020 in the FTSE 350. Government also fully supports the Parker Review, which recommends that FTSE100 and 250 boards should have at least one director of colour by 2021 and 2024, respectively. The Prime Minister also launched the Race at Work Charter and a consultation on mandatory ethnicity pay reporting as part of a package of measures to make the workplace fairer for people from ethnic minority groups. Over 150 employers have signed the Race at Work Charter, including a number of financial services firms. Equal pay for men and women doing the same work, equivalent work or work of equal value, has been a legal requirement since 1970. The Government remains fully committed to the Equal Pay protections in the Equality Act 2010. In 2017, the Government introduced regulations requiring large employers across all sectors, including financial services, to publish the differences in what they pay their male and female staff in average salaries and bonuses annually. The gender pay gap is caused by many factors and does not necessarily mean an employer has breached equal pay laws. Transparency is key to highlighting gender-based differences in pay and enabling employees to hold their employers to account, particularly where equal pay law may have been breached.

Ministerial Powers

baroness smith of basildon: To ask Her Majesty's Government how many times Ministerial Directions have been issued in each of the lastfive years; and from which departments.

lord young of cookham: Ministerial Directions are published on gov.uk.There have been nineteen Ministerial Directions in total in the last five years. Details of these Ministerial Directions are set out in the table attached.  



Ministerial Directions
(Word Document, 27.18 KB)

Department for Digital, Culture, Media and Sport

Loneliness: Ethnic Groups

lord boateng: To ask Her Majesty's Government what steps they intend to take to reflect the experiences of people from BAME backgrounds when (1) raising awareness of the public health implications, and (2) addressing the stigma, of loneliness.

lord ashton of hyde: Government’s loneliness strategy recognises that loneliness can affect people of all ages and all backgrounds. The Government is aware of the recent research findings contained in “Barriers to belonging: An exploration of loneliness among people from Black, Asian and Minority Ethnic backgrounds”, recently published by the British Red Cross, which will be considered in future work. On the public health implications, Public Health England (PHE) has supported the development of standard measures of loneliness and has recently consulted on updates to its Public Health Outcomes Framework, which includes consideration of the addition of the standard measure of loneliness, to inform and focus future work. One aim of Government's recently launched Let’s talk Loneliness campaign is to reduce the stigma of loneliness so that people experiencing it feel they can reach out or take action. This is based on the Mental Health Foundation's research which found that 30% of Britons surveyed said they would be embarrassed to say they felt lonely. The campaign will encourage people across different communities to talk about loneliness.

Loneliness

lord boateng: To ask Her Majesty's Government what assessment they have made of the appropriateness of the language used for different cultural and linguistic groups in measuring loneliness in their loneliness strategy.

lord ashton of hyde: A national loneliness measure was announced in October 2018 as part of the loneliness strategy. The Office for National Statistics (ONS) undertook a programme of scoping work to recommend a way of measuring loneliness which would work for people of different ages and backgrounds, including how different loneliness measures compare for use with diverse ethnic groups, including those with limited English. ONS’s final recommendation of using both direct and indirect measures of loneliness where possible is an approach currently taken by the English Longitudinal Study of Ageing and the Understanding Society study. The recommended measures are well-tested across different surveys and demographics. ONS worked with the Loneliness Technical Advisory Group to identify a range of criteria regarding the design, sample and geographical coverage of the surveys in which the measure will be included, to build opportunities to improve understanding of differences between ethnic groups.

Loneliness

lord boateng: To ask Her Majesty's Government what assessment they have made of the implications of the report by the Red Cross Barriers to belonging, published in June, for their loneliness strategy.

lord ashton of hyde: “Barriers to belonging: An exploration of loneliness among people from Black, Asian and Minority Ethnic backgrounds” highlights that many people from BAME backgrounds face multiple challenges to feeling like they belong and accessing support services. These include increased likelihood of discrimination, not feeling welcome and fear of stigma. The report also points to greater barriers to accessing help for loneliness and joining in community activities, including a lack of money, language barriers and not having enough free time. The cross government tackling loneliness team will consider the research findings and recommendations made to Government, in its work taking forward the loneliness strategy.

Gaming Machines

lord browne of belmont: To ask Her Majesty's Government how many adult gaming centres are currently in operation in the UK; and how many such centres were in operation in (1) June 2017, and (2) June 2018.

lord ashton of hyde: The latest figures for the number of Adult Gaming Centre premises are from September 2018. The figures for each year are given in the table below.  Number of Adult Gaming Centre PremisesAt 31 March 2011At 31 March 2012At 31 March 2013At 31 March 2014At 31 March 2015At 31 March 2016At 31 March 2017At 31 March 2018At 30 Sept 20182,1032,2471,6711,6421,6101,5491,5461,5111,436 More information can be found in the Gambling Commission’s industry statistics at https://www.gamblingcommission.gov.uk/news-action-and-statistics/Statistics-and-research/Statistics/Industry-statistics.aspx

Arts: Loneliness

lord foulkes of cumnock: To ask Her Majesty's Government what progressthey have made, as part of theirloneliness strategy, with the Arts Council to promote the role that arts and culture can play in addressing loneliness and to promote examples of best practice in reducing social isolation.

lord ashton of hyde: In 2018’s Loneliness Strategy, Arts Council England (ACE) and DCMS committed to ensuring arts and culture are included in the development of social prescribing and we and ACE are working with DHSC and NHS England to ensure that the cultural sector is well represented in this work. ACE and DCMS are members the Social Prescribing Taskforce, and are working with NHS England and others. ACE also continue to promote best practice for the role that arts and culture has in improving people’s wellbeing through case studies and programmes such as Celebrating Age, and Creative People and Places. The Celebrating Age programme has funded 32 projects that seek to increase engagement of older people with the arts, some of which focus specifically on tackling isolation. Likewise, the Creative People and Places programme also includes projects that incorporate these issues. Research from the programmes , and individual projects, is regularly published. ACE recently partnered with the APPG for Arts, Health and Wellbeing and others to support the Southbank Centre's Creative Health conference in June, which highlighted the role arts and culture can play in wellbeing, including in tackling social isolation. he Southbank Centre - one of ACE’s largest National Portfolio Organisations - announced its intention to address loneliness as part of their health and wellbeing programming. ACE also seeks to address loneliness through its investment in libraries and library-based projects. These initiatives bring people together through reading, promote learning new skills, and encourage participation in clubs, among several others. To continue to promote best practice to tackle loneliness and social isolation, ACE continue to participate in the APPG on Arts, Health and Wellbeing, and now sit on the APPG for Loneliness; and has proposed the convening of a joint session between these two groups.

Arts: Loneliness

lord foulkes of cumnock: To ask Her Majesty's Government what progressthey have made, as part of their loneliness strategy, with Arts Council England to use the new loneliness measure across relevant projects and programmes.

lord ashton of hyde: Arts Council England (ACE) has been in close contact with DCMS through the development of the Loneliness Strategy, including the development of the new loneliness measure; and has incorporated the measure into current thinking for the evaluation of relevant future programmes that may emerge, as the organisation finalises its new ten-year strategy (due to be launched in 2020). This is further informed by ACE’s participation in the Economic and Social Research Council (ESRC) Conceptual Review of Loneliness, and also links to recent work, led by HOME Manchester, on how the creative and cultural sectors respond to the need to evidence the social impact of their activities.

Loneliness

lord foulkes of cumnock: To ask Her Majesty's Government what progressthey have made, as part oftheir loneliness strategy,with (1) the set up and running of masterclasses, and (2) measuring the impact of library services in reducing loneliness.

lord ashton of hyde: The Libraries Taskforce ran masterclasses on measuring impact in August 2018 and on conducting evaluations in March 2019. These focussed on ways of measuring the impact of library services on its users including in reducing loneliness. The intention was to equip local library services with the ability to measure activities and impacts within their own communities.

Loneliness

lord foulkes of cumnock: To ask Her Majesty's Government what steps they are taking, as part of their loneliness strategy, tolead cross-Government work on tackling loneliness.

lord ashton of hyde: The Ministerial group on loneliness chaired by the Minister for Sport and Civil Society continues to oversee the delivery of the 60 commitments in the loneliness strategy alongside considering further opportunities to tackle loneliness across Government. Departments are providing officials to resource a cross-government team to lead the loneliness work. Government will include an update on progress in its first annual report on tackling loneliness, which we expect to be published later in 2019.